Losing weight for hiking adventures.

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random255
random255 Posts: 18 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I'm 31, and for the last few months, I've been trying to lose some weight without the benefit of an online program like MFP. I've got one major goal in mind: to hike the Colorado Trail this summer, which is 483 miles. My "in between" goal is to be able to hike 30 miles a day, for one week solid, over spring break (as a sort of precursor to the big summer hike).

I found that in 2006, I weighed 160 pounds. Today, in 2012, I stand at 191 pounds (down from the 212 I was at six months ago). The extra 30 pounds is causing me some knee problems after about 12 miles or so of hiking. They say that for every pound you carry, you feel 4x that amount on your joints.

I want to get back to my 160 pound weight. I'm 6 foot tall, and used to be a rather slender build, so 160 is way closer to ideal than 190.

Aside from MFP, I've got a free gym membership which is included in my tuition at my university. I'm starting to take advantage of that. I've also got a roommate who's getting into shape for the same hike, so I have some built in motivation there. I spent years putting this weight on, but I plan on taking it off much faster. I'm hoping for a drop of around 2 pounds per week.

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  • random255
    random255 Posts: 18 Member
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    Ha! Just found my old post. May as well update it for myself. I got down to 160, and I did in fact hike the entire trail from Denver to Durango. It took 40 days. When I was done, I was around 152 pounds (underweight).

    Unfortunately I stopped tracking after completion, and got back to 205. So now I've decided to hike the trail a second time, since having a goal was a major factor in losing weight the first time around. I'm currently down to 186, and I expect to be back to 160-170 by the summer. I won't be re-hiking the trail THIS summer, but instead I'll do it in Summer 2017. This will give me some time to build up muscle, and to learn how to maintain the weight I want.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Wow, congrats on making your goal the first time, and good luck with it the second time around. And yes, since you ended up underweight, I think taking the extra year to prepare is a great idea. Plus, with extra muscle, it'll probably be easier to carry all your supplies!
  • Lutielu
    Lutielu Posts: 188 Member
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    That's amazing!! I love hiking but I have to do shorter hikes... They don't let me take that much time off of work. Fantastic job and good luck this year!
  • dervari
    dervari Posts: 805 Member
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    WTG. We're planning on doing some of the AT this year. Hopefully from Springer to Hot Springs or Damascus if we feel adventurous. LOL

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